Pakistan Ready To Play In India Despite Security Threats: Shaharyar Khan
May 11, 2017 at 5:30 PM
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan in his press conference at Karachi’s Press Club on Thursday stated that the national team is ready to face-off India in its own backyard while adding they are also interested on neutral venues to play against India if they are ready to agree while referring to the bilateral series.
“We are ready to play in India. Although, we will have a lot of security threats there, but we are ready to play in India if they offer it to us. Yes, it is possible,” Shaharyar was quoted as saying by Express Tribune.
It becomes pertinent that the statement came shortly after PCB has filed a legal complaint against Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), asking the Indian board to pay lost revenue as BCCI failed to honour the Memorandum of Understanding.
The MoU was signed under which the neighbouring countries were due to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023 as PCB served a notice for asking the compensation of USD 60 million on May 03.
In his interview, the octogenarian chief also stated BCCI has to agree for playing against Pakistan. Earlier, the PCB chairman expressed dissatisfaction by saying BCCI did not honour the MoU signed by both the boards in 2014.
“Also, we are ready to face them in a third country (a neutral venue), but first they need to agree to play against us. They are not ready, so how can anything happen?,” Shaharyar added.
However, BCCI postponed the series owing to security issues in Pakistan as the Indian government did not allow its board to play the bilateral series after Indo-Pak relations did not sit well.
With political tensions high, cricket fans of both the countries were marred by escalating tempers.
India-Pakistan faced each other in 2012-13 bilateral series in India which was won by visitors by 2-1.
Shaharyar also threw some light on the four-star cricket academy by stating it is being given a finishing touch.
The Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre will be first of its kind in Pakistan to nurse the raw talent alongside domestic cricketers, who are rising to the occasion in a bid to knock on the selectors’ door with their performances.
“The academy in Karachi is ready. Now we will advertise to find a chief for the academy. We’ll see who comes forward and then we’ll decide who to give the responsibility to,” Shaharyar remarked.
With both teams facing each other in the ICC event, the teams are scheduled to face-off each other in the marquee clash of Champions Trophy on June 4 at Edgbaston in Birmingham in the Group B of the ICC Champions Trophy match.